Portable gas co



2Y Sheets Sheet I.

J. A. BRUCE.

Gas Retort.

Patented May 12, i857.

AM. PHOT0'lITHO,C0.N.Y. (USBDRNE'S PROCESS.)

2 Sheets--Sheet 2. j. A. BRUCE.

Gas Rtort.

` No. 17,309. Patented May I2, 1857.

IIIIIA'IIIIIIIIIII" AM. PHOTO-L|THO.C0.N.I. (OSBDRNE'S PROCESS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. BRUCE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO PRESIDENT AND DIRECTORS 0F MARYLAND PORTABLE GAS CO. l

GAS-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,309, dated May 12, 1857.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JAMES A. BRUCE, of the city of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented an improvement upon Longbottoms patent gas-purifying appa ratus, which I designate Bruces Improved Gas-Retort with Smoke Attachment, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and accurate description of the same and the mode of working it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure 1, is a vertical section of a bed of three retorts. Fig. 2, is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3, is a vertical section of the naked retort. Fig. 4, is a side elevation.

A A A, are the retorts which may be set singly or in benches of any required number. Y

B is a wash vessel or condenser.

C, is a sheet iron `smokepipe communicating with the smokestack or flue.

D, is a hydraulic main.

E, is an angular pipe of cast iron conducting the gas from the retort to the wash vessel or condenser.

F, is` a wrought iron (or cast iron) pipe with a right and left stop cock.

Gf, is the packing or purifying material, which is suspended within the retort, upon the grate-bars or perforated plate H.

a, is a slide valve, to admit atmospheric air into the smoke pipe C, where it is first flamed.

b, is the nozzle opening with a screw plug fastening, through which atmospheric air is admitted into the retort at the bottom, to form combustion within the retort.

The following is a description of the process by which to clean the retort and purifying material while hot and thus render the machine capable of' generating gas any length of time and without the necessity of letting the retorts cool 0E.

The oil is allowed to pass into the retort through the siphon pipe upon the top of the retort only after the retort has been heated to bright cherry red heat. By the action of the heated surface of the bottom of the retort, the oil is instantly converted into gas. The gas thus formed, passes oft' through the perforated plate H and the purifying material G, by the angular pipe E to the wash vessel or condenser B, and thence to the gasholder or receiver. Vhen the oil has thus run for some three or four hours, the packing becomes gummed up with the impurities it has absorbed from the gas in its passage through it; the bottom surface of the retort becomes coated with the carbonization of the heavy particles of the oil, thus preventing the full and free action of the heated surface of the iron. The perforated plate or grate bar H, becomes choked from the same cause, thus preventing the free escape of the gas through the angular pipe E to the condenser. I then turn 0E the flow of oil. O'pen the stop cock in the pipe F and allow the gas to pass ofi' in the smokepipe c. I open the slide valve a and apply a match, when the gas and air in the smokepipe F burns with a flame and smoke. I then take out the screw plug b and admit the air from the bottom. As soon as the atmospheric air and the gas have combined suiiiciently to form combustion, the llame from above descends into the retort and all impurities upon the packing and the perforated plate or grate bars and upon the bottom surface of the retort are burned olf and pass out through the smoke attachment at F and C Should any of the impurities too heavy to be carried off by the smoke and flame, remain upon the bottom they are readily removed by a small iron scraper through the nozzle b By this improvement I am enabled to make gas continuouslyfor any number of hours.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The new and improved gas retort with smoke attachment by which atmospheric air is admitted at the bottom to clean the retort and purifying material by combustion, substantially as set forth in the above specication and accompanying drawings.

I do not intend to limit my claim to this or any particular form of retort.

JAMES A. BRUCE.

In presence of- H. R. RooT,

L.. V. PREVOST. 

